Regretful Mistake
by Chibi Vongola
Summary: Summary: Ayumi makes a terrible mistake and it causes Conan to lose the trust and friendship of the Detective boys and the respect of Haibara. He goes on, trying to ignore the emptiness clawing at his heart until he finds some way to redeem himself, he takes it.


**Detective Conan Story: Regretful Mistake**

 **Summary** : Ayumi makes a terrible mistake and it causes Conan to lose the trust and friendship of the Detective boys and the respect of Haibara. He goes on, trying to ignore the emptiness clawing at his heart until he finds some way to redeem himself. He takes it.

* * *

It was a normal, bright, beautiful day for Conan as summer had finally come and the sun was out. He breathed in the fresh air and started walking to school as per normal, when he bumped into the Detective Boys. They all the their backs to him and was crowding around Ayumi. Conan frowed in concern and greeted them but was met with both Mistuhiko and Genta's outraged eyes and Haibara's disgusted look.

"Guys… what's wrong?" He asked as a worry built up in his chest and a confused expression appeared on his face. Mistuhiko's face grew red with rage as he stomped up to Conan and glared at him. "How dare you Conan-kun, I can't believe you bullied Ayumi-chan! You threw her bag and all her books into the river and now she has to get new ones!" He shouted and Conan's surprised look made him even more agitated.

"I did no such thing! Do you have proof that I did it?!" Conan demanded and Mistuhiko paused but Ayumi quickly shouted "I'm sure it was you, he wore your clothing and had your bag!" She shouted, her large blue eyes brimming with tears.

His confusion only grew. "When did this happen and did you even see my face or hear my voice?!" He asked but she kept crying so Mistuhiko decided to answer for her. "It was at 3:00, after school" He growled and Conan sighed.

"See, it's impossible that I did it. At that time I was with my relative" He said, as in reality he was meeting with Amuro and Akai, but as their glares didn't fade, he sighed irritably and walked past them to the school. "We'll be late" He said as Haibara's glare dug into him and he growled slightly, Haibara should know that's not enough evidence to say it was him, she was smarter than that.

During class, he kept recieving glares and shoves from the boys of the group until Kobayashi-sensei told them to stop. When she pulled him aside to ask what was wrong, he shook his head and told her there was a misunderstanding between them. She nodded and let them off the hook for now.

At break he didn't go to their usual spot, as to let them cool off but he went to the roof, where it was raining. As he sat in the small shaded area by the door, the unusual weather seemed to match his mood as every time he thought about them, the sudden rain got heavier.

After school he found he didn't have his umbrella, but them he remembered he had lent in to Ayumi before this happened and sighed. He quickly ran home, not wanting to face a seemingly grumpy and lacking in common sense Haibara by calling Hakase to pick him up.

He arrived at the agency, entire body dripping wet and shivering, to find an apology letter from her and Kogoro.

It read:

 ** _Dear Conan-kun_**

 _I'm so sorry Conan-kun, Dad agreed to help a client in Kyoto and the client provided the transport and accommodation but since Dad didn't mention you, you were excluded. I had to go along to make sure Dad doesn't hurt himself, be careful Conan-kun. We will be gone for around a week or two._

 _I'm so sorry Conan-kun._

 _I made dinner so just heat it up and eat. I left some money under your pillow just in case and you know our phone numbers. Look after yourself and be safe._

 _Please take care, don't worry. If anything goes wrong go to Hakase's_

 _P.S Take care of yourself Brat_

 ** _Love from Ran and Kogoro_**

He sighed; this day kept getting worse and worse. He took off his soaked clothes and took a warm bath. He glared at the note, sometimes they could be as bad as his parents when it came to being an actual responsible adult to a child. As he heated up Ran's food, he sighed once again as his eyes dimmed a little bit, it didn't have his usual enthusiasm or spark.

'I better not go to Hakase's for a while' He though as he closed his eyes, he then went to do his homework which was extremely simple snd headed off the bed, praying the the children would come to their senses.

His wish was not granted.

The next day was the same if not worse, they spread rumors about his supposed crime and the rest of the class began to dislike him as well. He had already gone to the principle and his teacher and explained what happed, luckily they understood and helped keep the children under control. Despite the conflicting evidence, the so called 'Detective Boys' did not understand or trust him enough to believe in him.

As he sat in the painfully empty agency, he thought about his situation. Maybe because this wasn't a life or death situation like in the bombing of the dam was. Was he not worthy of their trust now that he had commited such a horrendous crime to little innocent Ayumi, he knew it was probably their young minds wanting to be men and defend their smallest femal member of the group however the one thing he did not understand was Haibara. She was 18 years old in her mind, a year older than him, they had faced the Black Organisation togather and he had saved her life more times than he could count, why couldn't she believe in him now?

This cycle of him getting glared, scorned and ignored by Haibara and the rest had taken a toll he didn't know it would. Their innocence gave him a break from the murder and paranoia that came with his life and having nothing like that, not even Haibara to lean on in daily life really broke Conan down.

As a week trickled by he recieved a letter on the following Wednesday for Ran.

 ** _Dear Conan-kun_**

 _The case is taking a lot longer than first thought and we have been invited to stay as long as needed, I'm sorry Conan. I am not sure how long it will take for us to get home._

 _Take care_

 ** _Love Ran_**

He tore up the note and threw it away. As reality hit him, he knew he really should get new caregivers. He scanned his list; Hakase was off until Haibara cooled off, if she ever did, Amuro and Akai were definitely off, their identities too important to endanger.

He shook his head.

As bad as they were at taking care of him, Kogoro gave him the best access to crimes and the police. He needed to stay with them for the time being. Glancing at the time he realised it was already 3am, he shot up and headed for his room when he stumbled. He felt his head and cursed, he was sick.

He couldn't visit Hakase due to Haibara and he had no one to care for him, he grabbed some medicine and tried to sleep. As he lay down, he prayed for a good night's sleep. It slowly came but it was horribly interrupted by a nightmare. He shot awake as sweat dribbled down his face and drenched his shirt.

Breathing heavily, he got up as it was 6:50 and checked his temperature, 37.6°C, he wagered his options before standing to get ready. It was only a slight fever and it wouldn't hurt to be early for once. He was dressed and glanced at the clock, it was 7:00. School started at 8:30 but the library near it was open at 6:00 so he headed there.

Gaining surprised glances from the staff and older people however he ignored them. He grabbed a book on molecular biology and a notebook and began to study it, this was further his knowledge in the case that Haibara wouldn't teach him as she said she would a few weeks ago. He easily recorded pages of relevant information before the table shook slightly, glancing up his eyes widened as the were met with vibrant violet.

"Good morning Tantei-kun, you okay?" The messy haired, grinning thief in front of him asked and before he could think, his hand shot out to grasp at the teen's hand.

"Kaito…" Though he didn't continue, the young man understood. He pulled the shrunken detective into his lap. "We are on school break right now because our school is being remodeled. I can stay as long as you need." Conan curled up into him and Kaito frowned.

"Let's get you to bed, Tantei-kun" He whispered into his ear before packing up the notes and Conan's school bag and walking to the detective agency the chibi detective resided in.

As he entered he frowned. He placed the sick Conan in his bed and the searched the place, a growl left his lips as he stared at the two pieces on mended papers in front of him.

How dare they just abandon him like that. He looked around at the agency, spotting the cigarettes and remembered Mouri's violent actions towards his young charge and he made his decision.

* * *

\- 4 Weeks later -

* * *

Conan snapped the book shut as he checked his watch, it was 7:50, he stood up and walked out of the silent library to his school, silently sitting down. Conan pulled out a book he had taken out and started reading.

Students piled in at about 8:15 and he ignored the Detective Boys persistent glares before sighing and giving them a mere glance before he went back to reading.

They were shocked, especially Haibara and Ayumi, at how empty and dull their sapphire eyed classmate's eyes look. Haibara could see pain, dimming hope and exhaustion in his face, eyes and form. She knew their friendship was very important to the boy but she couldn't deny that seeing someone with the exact things Conan was not something you see every day. She didn't think about what Conan would feel though and that made her feel guilty, she didn'teven look further into the case before saying it was his. What kind of friend did that make her, she was so caught up in the safety that had surrounded her during their period of peace that she let go of her common sense.

She had Hakase, the Detective boys, the FBI and him keeping her safe but he only has people who are either absent or dead to protect him and now they have taken his only friends. She glanced at her friends and decided to talk to them at lunch.

The day went quickly for the lonely boy and soon, he headed to the roof for lunch. No one came up there because they weren't allowed but he got special permission because they knew he could handle himself after he saved a boy from falling to his death there.

On the other hand with Haibara, they were laughing as usual until Haibara spoke up. "Yoshida-san… I'm sorry for asking but are you sure it was Conan that threw your bag into the river" She said and Ayumi nodded, albeit slowly.

"What did he look like?" She asked and Ayumi put on a thoughtful face. "He had Conan's jacket but it was black, he also had jeans and those were white. He had Conan's bag but it was purple and they had their hood up." Ayumi listed off with a smile on her face until she saw Haibara's face, it was pale white and she was shaking.

"Ai-chan, what's wrong. Are you okay?" She asked and Haibara took a deep breath. "Yoshida-san, Conan only has a red jacket like that and it doesn't have a hood. He doesn't have white jeans only grey and black which he hardly wears in summer. His bag is brown and I just realized there is a high possibility for people to have the same bad due to a small selection" She said shaking and they all went pale from realization and horror. They had just hurt and ignored their friend, who had saved them so many times without thanks, for 5 weeks.

She wsnted to shoot herself, there was so much conflicting evidence. How could she have ignored it all, that was past ignorance it was plain stupidity.

They rushed around, asking anyone if they had seen Conan and all of them pointed to the restricted roof, where he always went. They all rushed up to the roof and as they were about to open the door, a teacher stopped them. They protested.

"Conan-kun is allowed up there!" Ayumi said but the teacher simply replied with "He was given special permission by all the Staff, including the principle to be up there" And as the teacher walked away, she turned back and said, "Why look for him anyway, you've been ignoring the poor boy for a little over 5 weeks"

They were turned away and walked solemnly back to their usual spot. "We will see him in class guys. Come on let's go to class. The bells gonna ring" Genta said to his sad friends and they nodded, turning around the corner, they spotted the very person they were looking for. Conan.

His dark brown, almost black, hair was styled into his normal cowlick. He wore a black dress shirt and formal jacket, almost like a blazer. He wore slightly smaller glasses that went very well with his narrowing eyes. He wore black shorts and black shoes. His new black messenger bag was held firmly by his side and he gave a slight smile to the older visiting student from Edoka.

His smile was so beautiful, more so then they remember. It wasn't directed at them though; it was directed to the older similar looking boy. They wanted to approach him so badly but decided against it, they would approach him after school.

Class went too slowly for the Detective Boys but slowly it was after school. They scrambled out of their seats to catch up to Conan as he did his daily ritual of disappearing. They finally caught up to him as turned out of the school.

"Hello, do you need something?" He said with a polite voice and they all stared in shock. His pure, blue eyes were like stormy waves and his polite tone and smile were used for strangers. "C-Conan-kun, we're sorry!" The three real children chorused and they all bowed. Surprise took over his usually calm face and Haibara went up to him, slowly as if she was hesitant. " Gomenasai Edogawa-kun" She said and she quietly whispered "Kudo-kun".

His face lost all surprise and became a cold blank slate. "One day I will forgive you but all the damage you have caused won't be healed by one simple apology. I will see you tomorrow. You must remember though, I trusted all of you and I seem to not worth much to you if despite how many facts there was pointing to it being someone else you were so sure it was me. If you had used you brain, it would have been simple." He said and gave them a slight bow before heading home, which Haibara noted was too quiet for Ran or Kogoro to be home.

Ayumi's tear fell down her cheeks and prickled the corners of the boy's eyes but they all knew each and every one of them were glad he was willing to forgive them one day.

The next day, they went to pick him up at 8:00 to see an empty house and asked Amuro-niisan where he went. "Why are you looking for Conan-kun?" He asked them, he could forgive the children but he knew Haibara was smarter than this, why had she hurt the detective? Amuro had become very fond of the boy. "He left at 7:00 as usual" He said and they were all once again shell shocked, how much had their small friend changed over their separation?

"We need to apologise again" They said and he sighed, sending them on their way to school before they were late. They all went to the library to look for Conan and found him reading a book and taking down notes quite comfortably on the lap of an older boy. It was same one from yesterday. Once again, they decided against approaching him as he looked so content sitting there, reading with the older student.

School was actually over before they knew it, they didn't see Conan at lunch because he was on the roof with the other student, who apparently had special passes on their school ground as Conan's special guest.

They were walking past Porriot, towards their respective homes quite disappointed and sad; they crossed the road silently with Ayumi and Haibara lagging behind. Without their notice, a truck roared towards them and was heading for the two girls.

Time seemed to slow down as the girls looked at the truck in horror, the frantic shouts of the boys as they tried to turn back were slowed to mere sounds and the truck approached too slowly. Suddenly, a force propelled Ayumi and Haibara forwards as a black blur pushed them. The truck screeched to a halt as the black blur went flying.

Time sped up once again and Amuro-niichan immediately called for an ambulance. The girls turned and looked for their savior and saw a single body, on the ground, bleeding at Amuro-niichan perform first aid. They crept forwards and saw their savior's face and gasped in horror. It was Conan in all his formal glory. Blood flowed out of his large wound and out of his head and mouth.

Everything from then on was a soundless blur. The ambulance taking Conan and them to the hospital, the Police securing the driver who clearly ran a red light with children on the road. The world finally slowed down as they were waiting for Conan to come out of surgery. The boy who Conan spent all his time with came running. His eyes were wide with panic and fear for the small boy and sweat dripping down his face.

After what seemed like years, the doctor came out with a relieved expression. "How is he?!" Conan's older friend asked first and the doctor smiled at him. "The boy is strong, he will make a nice recovery but unfortunately he will be slightly blind in his left eye but it will not affect his vision too much. It will take 1 week max to adjust to his new vision." All of the people in the waiting area practically melted in relief. They all were so happy for Conan-kun, he was going to survive.

Conan spent 5 weeks in hospital with visits from a guilty Ran and Kogoro, a happy but still worried Kaito, who was Conan's older friend and of course his parents Hakase and the Detective boys. The police, Heji and the FBI ended up popping for a visit or two in their break times.

Conan was released from hospital and the kids were waiting eagerly for him to return to school. They were all shocked with the next piece of news they received.

"Conan-kun is moving to Edoka because his parents died and he is staying with Kaito? What about Ran-neechan?" They asked and the teachers explained they were deemed unfit care givers; they had left him alone for 6 weeks and Kogoro drinks and smokes.

The kids went home that day, sad and depressed. They went to Hakase's to try and cheer up when Hakase gave them letters, from Conan. They hurriedly ripped them open and found a special note for each of them. At the end of the letters, they we're all crying. Conan still cared about them a lot. Haibara was struck the hardest though.

 ** _To Haibara Ai (Miyano Shiho)_**

 _I am moving to Edoka because Kaito and I found major leads on the Black Organization. I want you to keep everyone in Tokyo here safe. Don't worry, you will have Hakase and the police with you. Don't worry about the antidote, Ran has a boyfriend who will love and take care of her. My parents are always absent._

 _But if you do feel like finishing it, that's okay. Please send it to me just in case._

 _Keep away from Edoka and the Black organization, keep safe. If there is trouble, call me._

 _- **Edogawa Conan (Kudou Shinichi)**_

Tears were running down her face, he was leaving to protect them all. He was still willing to make sure she was never taken or killed by the Black Organization.

They all cried that day but the one who cried most, was Haibara and Ayumi.

You never know how much you need someone, until they're gone.


End file.
